Seeing Red

I promised to report back on the Cajun Chalet and the redfish action. Frankly, I don't have good enough words to do justice to the redfishing action, the great team of guides, the outstanding and abundant food and the cool blend of the a fish camp feel and pampering that make the Bourgeois Fishing Charters' Cajun Chalet experience what it is. All I can tell you for sure is that I'll be back! To learn more, check out http://www.neworleansfishing.com/.

All Cajun

"There won't be any ham sandwiches on this trip," said Capt. Theophile Bourgeois of Bourgeois Fishing Charters, (http://www.neworleansfishing.com/). "It'll be strictly Cajun." Our group arrived today at Bourgeois' main lodge to settle in, eat dinner, tell fish stories and get a bit of rest. Early tomorrow we head for the "Cajun Chalet," a remote lodge that's accessible only by boat and 18 miles from the nearest road, for three days of fishing. Redfish will be the main attraction, and we expect the reds to blow up on Bomber Saltwater Grade Walkie Talkies. However, speckled trout, flounder and largemouth bass are apt to be with the reds in the brackish water. Fishing will be good - if not great. I'm confident in that. However, Capt. Bourgeois assured us that the trip is not about the fishing. It's about the the gumbo, the blakened redfish, the crawfish... No Internet at the Cajun Chalet, by the way. I'll report back at the end of the trip.

Springing South

I spent Friday fishing with a friend in South Carolina, and the day was fun and productive, with bass and crappie alike cooperating. The wind was far chillier than forecasted, though, and I never shed the hooded sweatshirt that I thought I was bringing only for the first few half hours of the morning. I gotta admit that I'm ready to be warm fishing. Seems like I've hit the coldest day in weeks everywhere I've gone lately - including a couple snowy days in the South. I'm not complaining, though. I'm thankful to live in a region where a cool, breezy day in Mid-March seems cold and even more thankful that I get fish and write fish stories for a living. Plus, tomorrow I'm headed South - to the marshes of Louisiana - and I'm pretty certain that it won't be too terribly cold there. Even if it is, the Cajun cooking ought to keep me warm on the inside anyway. I'll report about the fishing when I return.

Beyond the Fishing

A big part of the fun of many fishing trips surrounds the folks who assemble in a place. During many of my travels, such as the recent trip to Gastons White River Lodge (http://www.gastons.com/) the circle of friends, new and old, includes mostly writers and guides or fishing pros who take the writers out to work together on magazine stories, photos, TV shows and such. On other trips, it's a group of friends who plan an outing together or possibly the people who happen to gather at the same lodge or lakeside grill any given day. Whatever the mix, most trips involve a collection of folks who have a strong common interest in fishing or in a particular destination but often little else in common, and the result is an abundance of interesting stories told and fun times shared both on and off the water. Some of the best fun at Gaston's, as awesome as the fishing was, occurred during the evenings, when everyone had put down there fishing rods and those who played guitars or other instruments picked them up.

The Wonderful White

Frank Saksa knows Rattlin' Rogues and brown trout.

A guide on Arkansas White River for the past two decade, Saksa was a pioneer of fishing jerkbaits on the celebrated tailwater. Time has taught him how to approach the river's hefty browns at various water levels and the kinds of casts, jerks and pauses that trigger strikes.

I've spend the past two days in the boat with Saksa, who guides out of Gaston's White River Resort (www.gastons.com), and I've seen first-hand what the browns think about an XCalibur Stick Bait or a Smithwick Rattlin' Rogue. Good casts, erratic jerks and long pauses are among the keys to success, but there's no substitute for a guide who knows where to drift, how to position the boat and how to direct you at any water level.

Of course, a river that's loaded with hefty browns doesn't hurt either. White River veterans consider 2- to 4-pound browns average on the White, and 6- or 7-pound fish aren't uncommon when the bite is on. When he turbines are turning (the more water the better), Saska likes nothing better than throwing big jerkbatis for heavyweight brown trout. I agree!

Happy for March

The thermometer says 28 and tomorrow morning is supposed to be colder. Nevertheless, the calendar days March, and that tells me that the fish will be moving shallower overall and getting more active very soon. The walleyes also ought to be running up rivers from mountain lakes soon (if they aren't already) and the white bass won't be far behind. March also tells me that one of my favorite trips each spring (to Gaston's Resort on the White River in Arkansas) is coming up very soon, and that a venture to the Louisiana coast for specks and redfish is only a few weeks away. I may have to stay inside to write fish stories this week, given the travel that's just around the bend. But maybe Nathaniel and I will slip out for a couple of hours to try to wrangle a bass or two from a local pond! We'll see. No matter what, I'm happy that March has arrived.